“Designing Coercive Institutions in Post-Conflict Settings” will explore the trade-offs policymakers face in designing coercive institutions in the aftermath of conflict. In particular, it will show how aspects of security sector reform thought to reduce the likelihood that war resumes can inadvertently increase the risk of coups d’état, and identify concrete strategies to mitigate this risk.

Erica De Bruin is an Assistant Professor of Government at Hamilton College, where she studies international security and civil-military relations. Her research focuses on the dynamics of military coups, design of coercive institutions, and sources of civilian support for armed groups. It has been published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution and Foreign Affairs online. She worked previously as a Research Associate in U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations and the New America Foundation in Washington, DC.